First Beer - Youngs American IPA Kit

[Aphid]

@Aphid Good to know thanks ! The bags look small on amazon so I might split into 2 bags. Did you weigh them down or just leave floating ? Also how much squeezing at the end ?

The muslin bags I have are not that big either but they have been perfectly OK on both occasions I have used them. I didn't weight them down, either, although I have read about some ingenious methods of sinking the bag, like including marbles! The bag of hops in both cases was quite nicely submerged without, to be honest, barely protruding above the surface.

For the AIPA I put both types of hops in the same bag although you could separate then into two bags for if you wanted to. As far as squeezing the bag, I started to the first time when I brewed a Youngs NW Saison - quite gently - but stopped when I saw all the cloudy hop sediments ooze through the bag. So instead I just let the bag drain briefly before discarding.

I contacted Youngs afterwards about this and they agreed with my method, to just drain briefly rather than squeeze. They said all the beneficial hop flavours would already have worked their way into the beer by then so no advantage squeezing. Hence I did the same with the AIPA. Always found manufacturers to be very helpful as far as finer details are concerned...and other forum members, too, of course.

 

[alunt]

I've just brewed this kit - drinking it right now :)

I'm a newbie in the brewing world. Done Mixed Berry Cider,Toffee Apple Cider,Coopers Dark Stout,some random Lager from my local brew shop and a Honey Porter, but this kit is awesome.

I brewed it in my Kitchen at who knows what temperature? - Warm enough to sit with just a t-shirt on - Dry Hopped it in the primary fermenter (think i would dry hop in a secondary fermenter next time), bottled it, left in kitchen for 2 weeks, then in cold garage for a week.

The beer is nicely carbonated. Good 1 centimetre head on pouring, and tastes very good - very similar to the Green Gecko from Lidl.

I'm already thinking about buying it again.

:)

 

[dublin12]

Ok so we are what 11/12 days in. It has reached 1.07 which is fermentation end.

So some insights to having a clear FV.

Looks like a krausen still on it from the side:

However it's just stuff that has stuck there as clear beery top in evidence. Tastes lovely at moment.

Hop bags from Amazon up next (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231757390902)

Just more or less managed to fit all of the hops into the bag. No idea what the hops will do next - could burst the bag I guess. If so will use another bag around the syphon when racking (could do anyway I guess)

The bag just about fit through the hole in the lid which was handy as it was sorta stuck so saved me some messing around. It is now floating on the surface. I will bottle on Sunday.

 

[terrym]

@dublin12
The small bags you are using normally go over the end of the siphon tube to filter out the hop bits from hops that have been freely added to the brew i.e chucked in as they come, and unless hop quantities are very small (rare for dry hopping) are not used as a hop bag.
For the hop quantities involved with this kit it is better to have a large bag which allows the hop particles some freedom of movement and so better give up their 'goodness'. Squeezing the hops into a small bag will inhibit the hops moving about and so is a less efficient way of using the hops. And of course I hope you can remove your bag when it has swollen with wet hops.
Finally did you sanitise your hop bag before you added it to your brew?
Hope it all works out nonetheless :thumb:

 

[dublin12]

@terrym Thanks for that advice - appreciate it.

I did indeed sanitise everything as usual.

I won't have any trouble removing it later as will have the entire lid off it next time. It just tends to need a wee twist of something in the thread to let go of its seal. Earlier I had the sanitised bag of hops in one hand and couldn't put it down so elected to go through the bung aperture.

Product description:

Use this bag for dry hopping to stop hop mess and also control how long you want them in the fermenter. Or tie it over a fermenter / boiler tap to strain off any hops when racking. Can be used as an alternative to a muslin bag

No doubt it is too small (@Aphid - what size are yours ?) but will see how it goes, at least it wont soak up too much beer unless it explodes.

Already saw a few posts up that squeezing not recommended so will just lift it out. Due to the size it will probably self-squeeze somewhat anyway.

Will see how it goes ! Might syphon through one also.

Just going to follow instructions this time, next time I will try the clearing-before-priming thing and be able to compare methods.

 

[terrym]

Already saw a few posts up that squeezing not recommended so will just lift it out. Due to the size it will probably self-squeeze somewhat anyway.

If you are going to lift the bag out I would suggest that you do this then leave the FV alone for a day or two (perhaps in the cold) to allow the disturbed yeast from the bag to settle. A few days in the cold will also help to settle the yeast. You will then end up with clearer beer going into your bottles, and even if its visibly 'clear' it will still contain enough yeast cells to carbonate, it will just take longer to finish the process that's all.

 

[dublin12]

Ok will try that and see how I get on , good tip no doubt for cider also. :thumb:

Edit: Took a peek just now, bag has disappeared under the surface somewhere.

 

[Aphid]

....No doubt it is too small (@Aphid - what size are yours ?) but will see how it goes, at least it wont soak up too much beer unless it explodes.

Already saw a few posts up that squeezing not recommended so will just lift it out. Due to the size it will probably self-squeeze somewhat anyway.

Will see how it goes ! Might syphon through one also.

Just going to follow instructions this time,....

@dublin12, I am sure your bags will be fine.

The muslin bags I bought were from Home Brew Online with a quoted diameter of 27cm. Not put that fact to the test but they are very stretchy and I have certainly had no concerns that they have or will restrict or inhibit the natural diffusion if flavours from the hops. Whilest I understand comments about bags being too restrictive I firmly believe that, after two days or more, diffusion will ensure safe migration of flavours out of the hops and I am sure the science will support this.

On both occasions I have used them, the hop-filled muslin bags were well and truly saturated at the point of removal. At the end of the day, instructions are just a guide. The Youngs kit instructions make no mention of adding the hops within a bag yet they themselves recommended it to me.

For me, I subscribe to a simple principle that evolves with experience:
- adopt
- adapt
- innovate

It applies to many situations, of course, including home brewing. I look forward to reaching the third stage (eventually, I hope!) but as yet I am barely creeping from beyond the first stage...but very much enjoying the process. :drink:

 

[dublin12]

Brilliant advice :

 

[dublin12]

ok so after about 3 days I have removed the bag (was floating vertically in the juice so very easy to remove)

I'd say on balance I am pretty happy not to have that in the brew though have definitely lost some of the effect as it still reeks of hops.
Next time I might use 2 x of these bags.
Turned the bag inside out and cleaned it- it's spotless and undamaged so I can reuse it.

Will leave chillin' a week now in the powered off ferm fridge before bottling (ambient temp is about 2-6c these days). Or should I perhaps power up the fridge and leave it a week at 4c ?

 

[Aphid]

ok so after about 3 days I have removed the bag (was floating vertically in the juice so very easy to remove)

I'd say on balance I am pretty happy not to have that in the brew though have definitely lost some of the effect as it still reeks of hops.
Next time I might use 2 x of these bags.
Turned the bag inside out and cleaned it- it's spotless and undamaged so I can reuse it.

Will leave chillin' a week now in the powered off ferm fridge before bottling (ambient temp is about 2-6c these days). Or should I perhaps power up the fridge and leave it a week at 4c ?

Interesting to see your pictures. So a useful and beneficial experience to have used a bag to add the hops. My bags are more stretchy by the looks of it so I agree with your conclusion that two bags might be better for you next time.

I can see value in leaving a while before bottling, to allow more time to clear, although I don't remember having any excessive sediment to deal with to be honest. I bottled straight after removing the hops, then back into the brew fridge still set at 23C. Just yesterday I removed the bottles after two weeks in the warm to spend another 8 weeks in my cold garage.

 

[dublin12]

Great stuff. Can't wait to bottle it now😁

 

[Poochops]

Just brought mine in out of the fermentation fridge to rack it off tomorrow, it's had a week on the hops and finished at 1.008. I'm going to say I'm underwhelmed with the taste out of the trial tube to be honest, not the hop aroma or flavour that I was expecting at all. I'll be bottling this with another hop tea for sure.

 

[Gerryjo]

Take a nip into a fabric shop and get a few meters of muslin cloth,cut small squares, place in your hops,tie it up and bung it in with a few SS bearings or large marbles with some dental floss used for tying and long enough to drape outside the fermenter.When finished lift it out, open flat to remove hops then just wash and reuse.Loads of cloth and cheap as chips 👍

Sent from my ALE-L21

 

[terrym]

I used to use muslin bags for dry hopping with pellets and found out along the way that bigger meant better for hop distribution and hop uptake by the beer. That was lesson learned number one.
Then I found that nylon mesh is better than muslin because it didn't soak up the beer (i.e nylon is non wetting). Lesson number two.
Then I found that the small nylon bag that came with a Festival kit was really effective at keeping the hop bits out of the beer that goes forward to bottles/PB if pulled over the end of my siphon tube. And that of course allows the hops to be chucked into the brew and to give maximum uptake of the hop 'goodness'. That's what I now do. And is lesson learned number three

 

[pms67]

ok so after about 3 days I have removed the bag (was floating vertically in the juice so very easy to remove)

I'd say on balance I am pretty happy not to have that in the brew though have definitely lost some of the effect as it still reeks of hops.
Next time I might use 2 x of these bags.
Turned the bag inside out and cleaned it- it's spotless and undamaged so I can reuse it.

Will leave chillin' a week now in the powered off ferm fridge before bottling (ambient temp is about 2-6c these days). Or should I perhaps power up the fridge and leave it a week at 4c ?

This is my opinion and my way of doing it so feel free to totally ignore this advice!!!
I used to use the bags and soon got fed up of it and looking at the hops in your bag,they look nothing like whats left at the bottom of my fermentor.
I think the hops dissolve when just chucked in and infuse the beer a lot more if that makes any sense, if i do a kit like this,i throw the hops in loose after fermentation is finished for three or four days then drop temp to around 2 degrees, im sure you have a fridge so it would work,the hops sink to the bottom and i dont even transfer to another bucket, you can bottle straight from the fv no problem.
For biab,ive given up with bags for the hops also, throw them.in at required times and after boil is finished open tap and transfer to fv via a fine sieve, collects all crap.
Like I say,every one does it different but this way has saved me a whole lot of faffing about, hope you enjoy your brew, its a cracking beer 👍

 

[dublin12]

Bottling day finally !

Using Coopers PETs after my bad experience with flip tops leaking gas.

Bit tedious tightening the tops. There were a generous amount of extra tops thrown in for some reason.

Back into the fridge at 22c.

 

[Gerryjo]

Bottling day finally !

Using Coopers PETs after my bad experience with flip tops leaking gas.

Bit tedious tightening the tops. There were a generous amount of extra tops thrown in for some reason.

Back into the fridge at 22c.

Your swingtops are possibly leaking due to your gasket.You can buy replacement gaskets or you could make them using this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MAYQ6CJ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Just use a small cutter or trace with a sharp knife.


Sent from my Hudl 2 using Tapatalk

 

[dublin12]

Yes - came to same conclusion as my Grolsch bottles were fine. All my brewing stuff now is plastic - lighter to carry around !

Its 0c today - ferm fridge only reaching 19.7c so far but the bottles are firming up already.

 

[dublin12]

OK Kids - we are about 1 month in and I grabbed a bottle from the warm fermfridge - chilled it for a few hours and poured it:

[ame]https://vimeo.com/204042132[/ame]

Tastes nice, actual beer not homebrew cloney stuff. The head has remained on it the whole way down. Plenty of Fizz despite the 1 week to allow the yeast to drop out. It's 95% clear. Might have been clearer if I had poured it at end of feb (ie in 2 weeks) but hardly any sediment on bottom so thanks for the advice there to let it settle before priming.

Have to say I am well impressed with my first beer and will definitely try these kits again and very happy with the PET bottles also.